Katara murder: plea to quiz another Yadav sister

The prosecution in the trial of the murder of Nitish Katara on Wednesday requested the court to summon Bhawna Yadav.

The prosecution in the trial of the murder of Nitish Katara on Wednesday requested the court to summon Bhawna Yadav, a sister of key witness Bharati Yadav.

Public Prosecutor BS Joon moved the court of Additional Session Judge Ravinder Kaur to summon Bhawna, saying that her deposition was crucial to verify if her sister Bharati, a close friend of the victim, received any calls from Katara's mother Neelam Katara in the wake of his abduction and subsequent murder in February 2002.

Bharati's brother Vikas along with their cousin Vishal Yadav face the charge of killing Nitish as they were allegedly against his "affair" with Bharati.

In a bid to prove Nitish's closeness with Bharati, Neelam Katara had last November told the court that she had called up Bharati on her mobile telephone bearing a particular number.

While making her much-awaited deposition in November, Bharati, however, had denied ever having used that particular phone.

The prosecution later discovered that the particular number was registered in Bhawna's name, said Joon in his application, adding that in the given circumstances Bhawna's testimony was pertinent to establish who exactly was using that phone in those days.

Following the prosecution's demand, the court issued notices to Vikas and Vishal to have their say on it.